LESSONS FROM AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Lessons From American Democracy

By T.S. Khanna, November 6, 2021.

Foundation For Better Government

 

In the formative stage of American democracy, founding fathers, John Adams and George Washington, indicated some flaws in the system, which could be fatal.  At the time, their foresight was ignored by the then prevailing enthusiasm for democracy.  Our current experiences, however, are giving a clearer view of their foresight.

 

Democracy, by its very nature, tends to weaken the nation’s ability to meet new challenges.  But its malfunctioning is like termite destroying the very structure that supports it. 

 

Much to our distaste, it is becoming clear that the Constitutional stock of ideas and practices is no longer sufficient to meet the rising internal and external challenges.  The Supreme Court’s interpretations and reinterpretations of the Constitution can no longer inject the needed vitality for the system to meet the new challenges.

 

Now the circumstances demand a fresh coruscation of ideas to make up for the prevailing intellectual bankruptcy in the current political affairs.  The new ideas, however, do not jell in isolation, especially if they run counter to the vested interests.

 

In the past, at times, we have discussed the need for refining the American democracy by using the benefit of experience with it.  Now, it seems, if we want democracies to survive and thrive, system improvements may have to be made periodically, based on experience with it.

 

As a starter, American democracy and all other democracies, especially the younger democracies like India, may consider making the following system changes at the earliest:

·     . To protect and promote the national interests, establish a constitutional, non-partisan, Supreme Council of elected quality officials to counteract the society- splitting, centrifugal forces generated by representative democracy;

·     .  Improve the quality of public officials and adopt strict quality control measures;

·      . Improve the quality of citizen voters by adopting the necessary requisites;  

    .   Adopt age 70 as the mandatory age of retirement for all elected positions;

 

·    .   Establish a National Election commission with adequate powers to make and enforce uniform rules and regulations for all national elections.